Support means for drums and drum accessories



Oct. 10, 1950 J, SOMERVILLE 2,525,623

SUPPORT MEANS FOR DRUMS AND DRUM ACCESSORIES Filed Nov. 30, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENRDR By 613 A/lbrney Oct. 10, 1950 J. SOMERVILLE 2,525,623

SUPPORT MEANS FOR DRUMS AND DRUM ACCESSORIES Filed Nov. 30, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 nv VEN 0/2 1W8 aw M .1. SOMERVILLE SUPPORT MEANS FOR DRUMS ,AND DRUM ACCESSORIES Filed Nov. 30, 1945 Oct. 10, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 //v YEA/TOR \IQMALS owqm BY HIS AW' RNEY Oct. 10, 1950 J. SOMERVILLE I 7 2,525,523

SUPPORT mus FOR DRUMS AND DRUM ACCESSORIES Filed Nbv. so, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 4:

' I ENmQ- BY Ans nfiwusym Patented Oct. 1 0, 1956 SUPPORT MEANS FORDRUMS'AND DRoM ACCESSORIES- J ams Somerville, Manchester, England Application- November 30, 1945, Serial No: 631,929 In Great Britain November 25; 19 M 13 Claims.

The drum kits used in orchestras and bands have usually been mounted on a wheeled frame which comprised a main body or cage externally of the bass drum, and extending armsand the like on the said body, or on the bass drum, .to carry the smaller drums, cymbals, gongs and other, accessories of a drum kit. These frames occupy a fair amount of space, both when in use, and when packed for storage or transport, and, when in use, result in the various instruments of the kit being spread about, sometimes making it difficult for the player to reach them all with ease and in time. In' cases where connections have been made to the rims of the bass drum, rigidity has been lacking, and, during the beating of the drums, a fair amount of shaking or vibrating movement was noticeable, sufficient to prevent the best results being obtained.

Of late, it has been proposed also to attach adjustable arms to the drum shells themselves, as wellas to the rims, and to carr other parts of the kit on :such arms but these arms very soon work loose, or distort or damage the drums. Moreover, this method of supporting the instruments makes a top-heavy assembly. Again, the arms which carry the tom-toms, and like appurtenances, have been insufficiently rigid when so supported; the drum shell or rim, having a natural springiness, has not held the fittings against vibration or tremor, and in the case of screw-on fittings, these haveoften badly marked and sometimes damaged the drum. Whilst the lighter parts of the kit could usefully be mounted in the ways described, despite the lack of stability, the

heavier parts such as tympani have necessitated special stands for themselves, and these, because i of the floor space required for them, usually required the drummerleaving or changing his posi tion in order to reach those parts of the kit.

Tripod stands have been used to keep other parts of the kit (such as hi-hat pedal, cymbals, etc.) in an upright playing position.

The present invention has for its object to provide an efficient means for assembling the various instruments and accessories of a drum kit together in a compact and rigid manner, including the heavier parts such as tympani, and without strain on the instruments themselves; and further, the invention provides adequate safeguards against the overturning of the assembly; means for preventing creep, especially on a sloping stage or platform, and also, if desired, means allowing of the whole kit being wheeled on or off a stageas a self-contained assembly. The invention also aims at providing a kit which can be quickly and e e 2' easily erectedand dismantled, .andwhichis of th minimum weight andbulk for, transport.

- According. to the. invention, the. bass drum, whichis always the centre or. heart .of the kit, is provided.interiorly.orintegrally.with a rigidframe or carrier. having contact-with the drumshell at a number ofv points, and someor all the other parts of thekit are adaptedto be. connected to such,- internal frame. or. carrier by means passing through the drum shell from thev exterior, whereby the instruments and other appurtenances around the bass drum, securedin position by such connecting members, are carried from the said frame or carrier andnot from the normal drum structure itself as previously known. The external units maybe attached directly to the internal frame, orin some cases there may also be an external frame or carrier, mounted onthe internal frame and itself supporting some parts of the 1 kit. The connecting members may be integral with the outside parts of the kit, or may be intermediate members, or the frame itself may protrude through the drum shell for attachment to the external parts. The internal frame may also be adapted to receive connecting members at other points, not in contact with the drum shell, and in such event the shell may be apertured to give access to such other points.

According to a further feature of the invention, diverging legs or feet are provided, to support the assembly and prevent its tipping over, which legs or feetalso are attached to the said frame, preferably at (or in line with) points which abut against the inside of the drum shell. These legs may themselves be utilized for carrying some of the instruments'ofthe kit; in place of the usual tripod stands, for example a hi-hat fitting, or cymbal and gong stands, or pedal fitting, theattachment of those parts'to-the legs preferably being adjustable. The said diverging legs or feet may be telescopicallyattached to the internal frame, so as-to be collapsed into the drum when not required for use. Or, instead of, or in addition to the retractable legs, which may carry rollers or castors at the lower ends, there may be telescopic spurs or spikes which, when extended, bite into the floor to revent creep of the outfit. Instead of being telescopically mounted, the said legs or feet may be detachable. Also, they may be angularly adjustable so as to vary their spread to suit the actual floor space available.

Where control mechanism such as Bowden cables, or link and lever mechanism is required between one part of the kit and another, this may enter and leave the drum at suitable points, so as to be concealed as much as possible, and, when the internal frame includes tubular members, may pass through some of the tubes.

In some practical embodiments of the invention, the frame comprises rectangular (or other closed figure) parts braced together diagonally and carrying hoops at their outer corners, such hoops and/or corners lying against the inner face of the drum shell, and the said diverging legs or feet are constituted by attached extensions of the diagonal bracing members. In other embodiments, the frame comprises a number of diagonal or radiating members growing out of a central junction bracket, the outer rings or boundaries (1. e. the said closed figure) being omitted. The components of the frame may be of tubular, angular, or other section, and may be extensible as by screw coupling members, or by ratchet and pawl or like trigger mechanism. If desired, the hoops may be omitted, the radiating arms alone having contact with the drum shell.

According to another feature of the invention, the said legs or feet and the several connecting members which carry the other instruments, are so dimensioned and so shaped that, if desired they may all be packed in, or collapsed into the bass drum, for storage and transport purposes.

The invention may be further characterised in that the interior frame also carries the tension fittings for tensioning the drum heads, thus relieving the shell of the stresses occasioned by such tension. This has the further advantage that the drum shell, relieved of such stresses, may be made of a lighter, more resonant material.

In the accompanying drawing, examples of the invention are illustrated in more or less diagrammatic form: v

Fig. l is a perspective view of one form of internal frame the outline of the bass drum being shown in dotted lines, and certain exterior attachments also being shown;

Fig. 2 is a part-sectional plan of a bass drum with a slightly different type of internal frame;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing an alternative form of internal frame, together with modified external fitments;

Fig. l is a further view similar to Fig. 1 showing a further form of the invention.

Referring first to Fig. 1 the internal frame or carrier comprises a pair of metal hoops I, 2, to fit the interior of a bass drum by lying against the inner face of the shell a, and each hoop is attached to a number of members 4 of tubular form. These members 4 are in pairs, those of each pair diverging from each other, and at the center of the drum they connect to brackets 5 secured together by the nut and screw 6. Means (not shown) is provided to prevent the plates 5 rotating on the screw. The members 4 are threaded at the ends, and the outer ends pass into bosses 3 carried by the hoops and projecting through the shell.

The members 4 carry telescopic extensions 1 which may be held in adjusted position by the screws 8. These extensions may be collapsed into the members 4, or may be drawn out to support other components of the kit in playing position.

The lowermost extensions form legs or feet and carry castors 9. Also these legs or feet carry telescopic spiked members ID which may be held in adjusted position by the screws H which secure the castors in position. The purpose of these spiked members is to grip the supporting floor and hold the drum against creeping movement under the influence of repeated blows on the drum head. The castors 9 may be adjusted along the legs 1 and held in position by the same means which grips the telescopic members H1. The castors have locking screws 12 which pass through a serrated or notched plate on the vertical axis and also bear against the roller, so that the rollers may be locked in positions parallel with the drum head and further resist creeping movement of the drum away from the player.

The legs 7 continue in the direction of the members 4, and therefore diverge from each other to give a wider base area on the floor (see Fig. 2) and prevent easy overturning of the outfit. On one of such legs I is a slidable collar IS with screw means 14 for holding it in any set position along the leg, and such collar is bored to receive a vertical upright post [5, which may be in telescopic sections, for holding cymbals, gongs, or other light-weight devices. The screw means I4 may be such that a single operation will both clamp the collar 13 on the leg I, and clamp the upright IS in the collar. Also, the legs 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, may be replaced by others of different form, such as those described with reference to Fig. 5.

Referring to Fig. 2 the plates 5 are replaced by a socketed member l6 into which the members 4 are screwed.

In Fig. 3 the lowermost diverging members 4 are braced together within the drum by horizontal members H. In Fig. 3 also there are shown part hoops or rails l8 lying on the outside of the shell and having bosses I9 into which fit the retractable rods 20, each rod having a stop 2| at the upper end to prevent its being moved too far into the drum. These members 20 serve for carrying some of the lighter parts of the kit.

Referring now to Fig. 4 the interior frame comprises only the two rectangular members 22, 23, the lowermost member 22 carrying the diverging feet 1 with castors 9 and spiked extensions 10, whilst the upper member 23 carries the additional arms I for other members of the kit, In this figure those arms I instead of being telescopic into the drum are detachable, having screw connections 1 adapted to be screwed to the interior frame 23 through apertures in the drum shell. The arms 1' are shown detached from the frame 23.

In this form also there is the external rail l8 which carries the bearing bosses 24 in which latter is mounted the curved stick-stand or shelf 25 for small accessories, this being of curved section so as to prevent the sticks rolling off, and also so as to fold back close to the shell a as shown in dotted lines.

In any of the constructions illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, some of the members 4 may be omitted, for example those on one side of a vertical or horizontal plane passing through the junction fitting 5, and in such case the fitting 5 may be moved further to one side or nearer to the top (as the case may be) of the drum.

Whilst in the drawings the hoops I, 2, are shown as being circular, they may be of polygonal form, e. g. octagonal, hexagonal, or even oval, square or triangular.

What I claim is:

l. A drum kit comprising in combination a bass drum shell; at least two band-shaped curved hoops arranged within said bass drum shell lying against the inner surface thereof; a plurality'of pairs of corresponding holes in said bass drum shell and said band-shaped curved hoops; a plurality of supporting rods arranged within said bass drum shell projecting through said holes outside of said bass drum shell, the projecting portions of said supporting rods serving as projecting supports; and securing means mounted at said holes to said band-shaped curved hoops for securing said supporting rods to the same so that they are also serving as supports for said band-shaped curved hoops and said bass drum shell,

2. A drum kit comprising in combination abase drumshell; at least two band-shaped curved hoops arranged within said bass drum shell lying against the inner surface thereof; a plurality of pairs of corresponding holes in said bass drum shell and said band-shaped curved hoops; a plurality of radially arranged supporting rods arranged within said bass drum shell projecting through said holes outside of said bass drum'shell, the projecting portions of said radially arranged supporting rods serving as projecting supports; and securing means mounted at said holes to said band-shaped curved hoops for securing said radially arranged supporting rods to the same so that they are also serving a supports for said band-shaped curved hoops and said bass drum shell.

3. A drum kit comprising in combination a bass drum shell; at least two band-shaped curved hoops arranged within said bass drum shell lying against the inner surface thereof; a plurality of pairs of corresponding holes in said bass drum shell and said band-shaped curved hoops; a plurality of radially arranged supporting rods arranged within said bass drum shell projecting through said holes outside of said bass drum shell, the projecting portions of said radially arranged supporting rods serving as projecting supports; securing means mounted at said holes to said band-shaped curved hoops for securing said radially arranged supporting rods to the same so that they are also serving as supports 4. A drum kit comprising in combination a bass drum shell; at least two band-shaped curved hoops arranged within said bass drum shell lying against the inner surface thereof; a plurality of pairs of corresponding holes in said bass drum shell and said band-shaped curved hoops; a supporting frame within said bass drum shell firmly secured to said band-shaped curved hoops; a plurality of projecting supports arranged outside of said bass drum shell and reaching through said holes into the interior of the same; and securing means firmly securing the inside projecting portions of said projecting supports within said bass drum shell to said supporting frame.

5. A drum kit comprising in combination at least two band-shaped curved hoops adapted to support a bass drum shell lying against the inner surface of the same; a plurality of holes in said band-shaped curved hoops; a plurality of supporting rods arranged within the space defined by said band-shaped curved hoops projecting through said holes outside of said space; and securing means mounted at said holes to said band-shaped curved hoops for securing said supporting rods to the same.

6 A drum kit comprising in combination at least two band-shaped curved hoops adapted to support a bass drum shell lying against the inher surface of th'ehoops; a plurality of holes in said-band-shaped curved hoops; a plurality of radially arranged supporting rods arranged within the space defined by said band-shaped curved hoops projecting through said holes outside of said space; and securing means mounted at said holes to said band-shaped curved hoops for securing said radially arranged supporting rods to the hoops.

'7. A drum kit comprising in combination at least two band-shaped curved hoops adapted to support a bass drum shell lying against the inner surface of the hoops; a plurality of holes in said band-shaped curved hoops; a plurality of radially arranged supporting rods arranged within the space defined by said band-shaped curved hoops projecting through said holes outside of said space; securing means mounted at said holes to said band-shaped curved hoops for securing said radially arranged supporting rods to the hoops; and connecting means arranged within said space defined by said band-shaped curved hoops firmly connecting said radially arranged supporting rods to each other.

8. A drum kit, comprising in combination, a bass drum shell; at least one cylindrical member fitting into said bass drum shell and lying against the inner surface thereof; and drum supporting means carried by said cylindrical member and extending from the inside of the bass drum downward and outward thereof to support the bass drum shell from a floor.

9. A drum kit, comprising in combination, a bass drum shell; at least one cylindrical member fitting into said bass drum shell and lying against the inner surface thereof; drum supporting means carried by said cylindrical member and extending from the inside of the bass drum downward and outward thereof to support the bass drum shell from a fioor; and further supporting means carried by said cylindrical member and extending from the inside of the bass drum shell upwardly and outward thereof through said bass drum shell to support drum accessories.

10. A drum kit, comprising in combination, a bass drum shell; at least one cylindrical member fitting into said bass drum shell and lying against the inner surface thereof; a plurality of rods carried by said cylindrical member and extending from the inside of the bass drum shell downward and outward thereof and through the cylindrical member to support the drum shell on a fioor; and means for connecting the inner ends of the rods to each other.

11. A drum kit, comprising in combination, a bass drum shell; at least one cylindrical member fitting into said bass drum shell and lying against the inner surface thereof; a plurality of rods carried by said cylindrical member and extending from the inside of the bass drum shell downward and outward thereof and through the cylindrical member to support the drum shell on a floor; means for connecting the inner ends of the rods to each other; and separate means for rigidly connecting each of said rods to said cylindrical member at the point where the rod passes through the cylindrical member.

12. A drum kit, comprising in combination, a bass drum shell; at least one cylindrical member fitting into said bass drum shell and lying against the inner surface thereof; a first set of rods carried by said cylindrical member and extending from the inside of the bass drum shell downward and outward thereof and through said cylindrical member to support the shell on a 7 floor: a second set of rods carried by said cylindrical member and extending from the inside of the bass drum shell upwardly and outward thereof and through said bass drum shell to support drum accessories; and means for connecting the inner ends of the rods to each other.

13. A drum kit, comprising in combination, a bass drum shell; at least one cylindrical member fitting into said bass drum shell and lying against the inner surface thereof; a first set of rods carried by said cylindrical member and extending from the inside of the bass drum shell downward and outward thereof and through said cylindrical member to support the shell on a floor; a second set of rods carried by said cylindrical member and extending from the inside of the bass drum shell upwardly and outward thereof and through said bass drum shell to support drum accessories; means for connecting the inner ends of the rods to each other; and separate means for rigidly connecting each of said rods to said cylindrical member at the point where the rod passes through the cylindrical member.

JAMES SOMERVILLE'.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 769,527 Bahr Sept. 6, 1904 2,245,883 Walberg June 17, 1941 2,259,268 Robinson Oct. 14, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 466,632 Great Britain June 1, 1937 

